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Home » Recipe Search » Layer Cakes

May 9, 2017(last updated October 31, 2021)

My First Blog Post + UNICORN CAKE

5 from 5 votes
BySam Adler
Jump to Recipe

This unicorn cake is made using a one bowl vanilla cake recipe. It is the perfect cake recipe for any birthday or celebration!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in this position right now, being all like YAYAYAYAYAY I’m finally gonna write my first blog post!

Which by the way I had designed 2 years ago this July,  and then got frustrated because I actually have no idea how to do this.

I’ve always gotten so distracted because I would need coffee, lunch, a snack, some chocolate, or to finish watching the episode of Will & Grace that I have playing for background noise.

Well today my friends is the day.

While I still have most of those above distractions, IM GOING TO GET THIS DONE TODAY and what better way to start this thing off than with the uber trendy and magical UNICORN  VANILLA CAKE!!!!

Shoot, ok now I have to figure out how to insert a picture. Gimme a sec.

Hooray, I did it!

This cake has to be one of the most fun cakes I’ve done ever!

Even better because it was for one of my besties who is turning 30 in just a few days.

With all the one year old cake smashes that I do, we thought it would be hilariously funny  to do a dirty 30 cake smash and we were 100% right.

Unicorn was the obvious theme, bc well duh, who doesn’t love a unicorn!

First we got this party started with some classic blue bottle Bartenura (day drinking at its finest).

Isn’t she pretty?

Then we moved on to the cake.

Dig in!!!

    

Wash it down.

    

And the Grand Finale:

    

You did it!!!!!

HAPPY DIRTY 30 to this girl!

Thank you for being just as crazy as me wahooo!

 

And because this is my most favorite cake to make, I’m sharing the recipe for this easy one bowl vanilla cake with you all, plus some tips on how to throw your own cake smash!

How to throw your own dirty 30 cake smash:

  • Make sure you have an awesome cake like this one
  • Set it up in front of a large wall so you have some sort of back drop
  • Hang something fun from it! Like these fun streamers
  • Wear a ridiculous tutu
  • Have fun!

This post contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of these links, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you! That’s right you’re helping me make that money, so thank you!!

A white cake decorate to look like a unicorn on a white backdrop with sparkly stars hanging in the back

Unicorn One Bowl Vanilla Cake

This unicorn cake is made using a one bowl vanilla cake recipe. It is the perfect cake recipe for any birthday or celebration! 
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Cake
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy vanilla cake, easy vanilla cake recipe, homemade vanilla birthday cake, homemade vanilla cake recipe, one bowl cake, one bowl cake recipe, one bowl unicorn cake, one bowl vanilla cake recipe, unicorn cake, vanilla birthday cake, vanilla cake from scratch
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 18
Calories: 264kcal
Author: Sam Adler

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs large
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup milk or soy milk
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  •  Preheat your oven to 350° F and spray two 9 inch round cake pans with baking spray or line with parchment paper.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl- combine eggs, yolk, oil, and sugars and mix well until combined.
  • Add flour in slowly and mix on low speed.Add baking powder and salt.
  • Slowly add in milk, and vanilla and continue mixing until a smooth batter forms, about 30 seconds- 1 min.
  • Evenly pour the batter into the pans and bake for 30- 35 mins. The cake is done when a toothpick is inserted and come sout clean and when the edges are pulling away from the sides and are golden brown.

Notes

  • This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, just make sure to adjust the time as you may need more if you plan on making larger quantities.
  • Double this recipe of you want to bake it into 3 9” pans.
  • You can add 1 cup of classic sprinkles to turn this into funfetti cake.
 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Unicorn One Bowl Vanilla Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 264 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 14g
Cholesterol 62mg21%
Sodium 36mg2%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Sugar 27g30%
Protein 2g4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I love when you share my recipes!!

272 shares

Filed Under: Layer Cakes Tagged With: Vanilla

About Sam Adler

Sam Adler is a Le Cordon Bleu professionally trained pastry chef, Saveur Blog Award winner, food photographer, and food blogger over on FrostingandFettuccine.com. She has been featured in numerous online and in-print publications including Taste of Home Magazine, Saveur Magazine, The Feed Feed, and Food Blogger Pro. Sam lives in Hollywood florida with her husband, two young kids, and french bulldog. When she’s not baking and dancing in her kitchen you can find her at her favorite yoga spot.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hannah says

    June 12, 2017 at 5:39 am

    Bartenura? Wow… I love it! ?

    Reply
    • Sam says

      June 16, 2017 at 1:06 pm

      ya! its so good!!

      Reply
  2. Poonam Shinde says

    May 07, 2019 at 5:39 am

    Vanilla cakes are so good and easily available in any time . also trending in all season.

    Reply
    • Sam says

      May 09, 2019 at 7:50 am

      Yes! They are so versatile too you can add any flavor to it and its always good! Thanks for your comment!!

      Reply
  3. megan says

    August 23, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    5 stars
    love love love this cake!!! it is on my go-to cake list. so simple, delicious and versatile. I made it with chocolate espresso buttercream, will make it with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles, and I’m also am going to turn it pumpkin this week! thanks Sam for a wonderful recipe I can always count on!!!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      August 23, 2020 at 12:42 pm

      AH megan thank you so much for your sweet comments! I am so happy you love this cake! Adding pumpkin sounds like such a great idea!!!

      Reply
  4. ally says

    November 22, 2020 at 4:38 pm

    I want to make a 6” tiered cake with 3 6”inch pans! can i do that? how do i double this recipe for this?

    Reply
    • Sam says

      November 24, 2020 at 11:25 am

      Yes you can double it! If you don’t want to it will still work with 3 6″ pans, they just wont be as high 🙂

      Reply
  5. Angela Lambert says

    December 09, 2020 at 5:11 pm

    In your instructions, it says, “combine eggs, yolk”. but I don’t see a separate ingredient for just yolk. Only eggs are listed in the ingredients. Wanted to make sure I’m not missing anything.

    Thank you,
    Angela

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 09, 2020 at 10:09 pm

      Thank you Angela! I added the extra yolk into the recipe card, great catch!

      Reply
      • Angela Lambert says

        December 10, 2020 at 9:24 am

        I’m following your 2 tier instructions for my sister’s wedding Saturday with this cake and I’m already nervous enough. So I’m like, YOLK, what yolk, LOL.
        Thank you

        Reply
  6. Marcia Clark says

    May 07, 2021 at 12:38 pm

    Hi Sam,
    I am thinking of making the one bowl vanilla cake for a baby shower I am going to. I have 2 issues: (1) I don’t have a Kitchen Aide mixer, could I use a hand held electric mixer? If you think it’s necessary I can borrow a Kitchen Aide from my daughter.
    (2) What kind of vegetable oil do you recommend? I don’t like the taste of oil in a cake so would like to use one without a strong flavor. I have used either butter or applesauce before.
    PS I have never made a cake from scratch in my life, wish me luck!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      May 10, 2021 at 6:59 pm

      Hi Marcia!! So excited for you to make this cake, you can do it!! I actually just made it right now into 3, 6 inch cake pans (if you want to do that, reduce the baking time to 25-30 mins). For the oil- I use plain vegetable oil, you dont get that oily taste, rather its more for the texture of the cake. If you want you can swap half the oil for applesauce. Also yes you can totally use a stand mixer or even mix by hand! I would love to hear how it came out, enjoy!!

      Reply
  7. Ejiro says

    August 26, 2021 at 7:22 am

    Love this recipe looking forward to trying it 2moro. Tanks Sam

    Reply
    • Sam Adler says

      August 31, 2021 at 11:57 am

      yay great!!

      Reply
  8. Matilda says

    October 27, 2021 at 10:18 pm

    Hello! I’m going to attempt your two tier guided cake! (Nervous!) I can see your comment above re how to adjust for the 3 6” layers, how do I adjust this recipe to do the 3 8” cakes? And how would you change the flavour of this cake? (I.e make it chocolate or caramel flavoured?)
    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Sam Adler says

      October 29, 2021 at 10:26 am

      So excited for you to try this Matilda! You can bake the cake in 3 cake pans instead of two, just adjust the bake time to 5-10 minutes shorter. Unfortunately there is no way to change the flavor of this cake recipe to chocolate or caramel without having to change around other ingredients. You can make a chocolate or caramel buttercream easily though by adding in cocoa powder or caramel sauce. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  9. Lori Mulick says

    June 14, 2022 at 8:06 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Sam,
    I am looking to make a tiered cake. Instead of 2 9 inch pans,
    I would like to use 3 8 inch pans. Would I still need to double this recipe?

    Thank you so much!!

    Reply
    • Sam Adler says

      June 20, 2022 at 10:08 am

      Hey Lori! You dont need to double the recipe but your cakes will be thinner so I would reduce the baking time! Hope this helps!

      Reply

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XO, Sam

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Hi! Im Sam Adler,

I'm a professionally trained pastry chef and food photographer.
This is a place where you will find easy yet impressive looking desserts. I also share a ton of food photography resources too! What can I say, I love pretty & delicious baked goods! Learn more about me!

As Featured In:

Logo images of media places Sam Adler has been featured in
Saveur Blog award winner for best food Instagram

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👋🏻 2022! Will be celebrating this year on th 👋🏻 2022! Will be celebrating this year on the couch with this in my lap. No sharing allowed! Those 3 spoons are all mine 😂😂 

🍾🥂HAPPY NEW YEAR 🍾🥂
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Recap of all the cookie boxes!!! This year’s @ta Recap of all the cookie boxes!!! This year’s @taylorswift theme has got to be my fave (see my last reel for the explanation of each cookie!) but I have so much fun every year making these! Which one is your fave?! 

#cookieboxes #cookiebox #cookiegifts #cookiegiftbox #holidaycookies #taylorswift #TaylorSwiftcookies #homemadecookies #customcookies #cookiedecorating #cookiesofinstagram #cookiedesign #cookiephotography #holidaycookiebox #holidaygiftsets #holidaygifts #ediblegifts #swiftie #swiftiesforever #taylornation @taylornation
ARE YOU READY FOR IT?! 2022 Cookie Box is @taylors ARE YOU READY FOR IT?! 2022 Cookie Box is @taylorswift themed!! 
1. “Like a rainbow with all of the colors” sprinkle cookies 
2. “Lover” heart sugar cookies 
3. “Lavender Haze” shortbread (made with lavender and a pearly shimmer powder)
4. “Midnight” cookies AKA my chocolate brownie cookies 
5. “Red lip classic” sugar cookies 
6. More midnight cookies- (dusted with powdered sugar to look like the midnight cloudy sky)
7. “Bejeweled” sugar cookies (Navy bc black fondant was out of stock)
8. @taylorswift famous chai cookies 

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating and hope you have a happy New Year’s Day!
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#cookiebox #taylorswift #taylorswiftcookies #holidaycookiebox #swifties #swiftie #swiftieforever #holidaycookies #cookieseason #cookiedecorating #cookiebox #cookieboxes #taylorswiftlover #taylorswiftlyrics #taylorswiftvideo #sugarcookies #shortbread #browniecookies #christmascookies #christmascookiebox #lavenderhaze
#ad This year for Chanukah we’re switching it up #ad This year for Chanukah we’re switching it up from classic sufganiyot to make these fun donut fries! Puffy, golden, and delicious, dip your “fries” into melted chocolate or raspberry jelly and celebrate all week long! @aldiusa makes it super easy with their amazing selection of high quality products at seriously unimaginable prices. Run to your nearest @aldiusa to find all the ingredients you need to make these and have a Happy Chanukah!
Find the recipe below!

#ALDILove
Prep time: 1 hr 45 mins
Cook time: 1 min
Yield: 40 donut fries
2 pack Baker’s Corner Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Simply Nature Grade A Organic Cage Free Brown Eggs
2 tbsp Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Carlini Pure Vegetable Oil
5-6 cups Baker’s Corner All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ cup Baker’s Corner Powdered Sugar
For Dipping:
1 cup Baker’s Corner Dark or Milk Chocolate Morsels
Simply Nature Organic Raspberry Preserves
Method:
•Mix the yeast with water in a mixer bowl and let stand for 10 mins until frothy. Add the
sugar, eggs, vanilla, and oil to the bowl and mix until well combined.
•Start adding only 5 cups of flour and salt, and knead/mix on medium speed in a stand mixer
fitted with the dough attachment for 5 minutes until a soft, non-sticky dough forms. If the
dough seems sticky, add ¼ cup flour to the dough until it no longer sticks to the bowl when
mixing.
•Let the dough rest in the bowl for an hour to double in size. 
•Punch down the dough and remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using a
lightly floured rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle. About 18”x 15” and 1/2 of an inch in
thickness. 
•Using a pizza cutter, cut in half vertically. Then slice thin strips horizontally. You want them
thin as they will puff up while frying.
•Let the fries rest for another 15 mins. 
•Meanwhile, using a deep fryer or a large pot, heat your oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the donut
fries 30 seconds per side, then drain on a paper towel.
•Dust the donut fries with powdered sugar and set aside.
•Microwave 1 cup of dark or milk chocolate for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Scoop
jelly into another bowl. Dip the fries in the chocolate or jelly!
Happy birthday @taylorswift 👸🏼 hope it feels Happy birthday @taylorswift 👸🏼 hope it feels like a perfect night and you’re not weepin in a party bathroom. IYKYK
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Also here’s to wishing me getting those tix!
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I sure do like these gingersnap cookies babe 😂 I sure do like these gingersnap cookies babe 😂 

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